I can hardly believe we are already in August. The rain continues to be our main attraction here in New England so summer has been a fleeting sprite! I did enjoy three glorious days on Martha’s Vineyard, off of the Massachusetts coast in July. The storytelling muses smiled down and every day was more perfect than the next, warm sunshine, soft breezes and joyful folks on holiday.

Our Story Café in July at ArtWorks in New Bedford, MA, with the fabulous Regi Carpenter was grand and did not disappoint the very appreciative audience. On August 8 our feature will be Lani Peterson, who is sure to bring her trademark warmth to fill the night. I hope you can join us.

If you would like to view some of the fantastic photos from previous performances and find out who will be there through March of 2010 visit The Stories Keep Percolating!

I did a bit of updating on my blog in July as well so stop by and check out all of the new business and branding links I added, as well as a book review for Margaret Read MacDonald’s new book, Surf War! If you are looking for storytelling links they are there as well ... keep scrolling!

I will be performing at Greenfest in Boston, MA this month. Stop by and say hello if you have a chance. There will be something to do, see and hear at this fun for everyone.

This September I will be sailing into some new waters, co-teaching a continuing education class at the University of Massachusetts / Dartmouth Campus titled Storytelling by Design. It is an innovative business course, using the elements of storytelling to convey a companies message. We are in for some fun!

As always, I would love to hear from you. See something you like that was helpful to you? Drop me an email at storybug@aol.com and let me know if I am on the right track. Is something missing? Email me and let me know what else might help make your work a bit easier. Suggestions are always welcome.

Until September, be well and happy. Karen

Image: The Little Mermaid by Edmund Dulac

"'Thou shalt not' might reach the head,
but it takes 'Once upon a time' to reach the heart."

-Phillip Pullman

STORY SITES

August 7 is Sea Serpent Day so here are three sites to help you get in the swim!

4 2 eXplore ~ Topic: Oral History - A wealth of web links on how to conduct interviews, projects with links to curriculum guides and projects dealing with Oral History. http://tinyurl.com/lh9n6p

Education World.com - Fourteen icebreakers to make the first day of school run smooth as silk. They would be fun to use throughout the year as well. http://tinyurl.com/272nqc

First-School Preschool Activities and Crafts - Do you want to integrate storytelling into your curriculum for the wee ones? This site offers classic fairy tales, folk tales, tall tales and legends from around the world including lesson plans and activities to complement each story. http://tinyurl.com/mvcez4

Folk and Fairy Tales From Around the World - Are you trying to find just the right folktale to complement your classroom lesson plan? This incredible index of Folk and Fairy Tales lists stories by country of origin, story title and book title will help you breeze through the library with ease. And if you are preparing a multicultural storytelling program this is the place to start! http://tinyurl.com/3avy2g

Grandparents Day Reading Material - These books may be found at your local public or school library. For your convenience, ISBN numbers, book reviews and related links have been provided on each detail book page.” http://tinyurl.com/ndte2k

Literacy Development in the Storytelling Classroom - by authors Sherry Norfolk, Jane Stenson and Diane Williams from Libraries Unlimited. June 2009. Includes articles & lesson plans to promote storytelling and literacy from classroom teachers and storytellers.

“TV. If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they'll have with twenty-six.
Open your child's imagination. Open a book"

- Anonymous

MUSIC

Preschool Education.com - From Wild Animals to the Wild West, this site is filled with songs and music to help your students sing their way through the school year and beyond. http://tinyurl.com/mmqaky

Kinderthemes.com - Songs to help the children sing their way through the first few days of school. http://tinyurl.com/deebu

BUSINESS NOTES

5 Tips for Amazing Webinars and Web Meetings by Mike Song, Tim Burress, and Vicki Halsey “With the economic meltdown, rising environmental concerns, growing apprehension about global pandemics and traveling to high crime-rate countries, and the ever-increasing need to boost productivity and save money, companies everywhere are stampeding to virtual meetings to slash travel costs, go green, and get more done.” http://tinyurl.com/nxq7dw

How to be a Powerful Persuader by Alan Fairweather "Selling is the art of creating a desire in the mind of a buyer and satisfying that desire so that buyer and seller benefit." http://tinyurl.com/mdxhop

Download Free Pictures.com - Looking to spice up your storytelling, classroom or library information? Little Red Riding Hood, our old friend Jack, and other famous fairytale folks can be found here ready to play! To the right you will also find links to other free clip art photos in a number of categories, including holiday, animal and nature photos. http://tinyurl.com/35o8qj

August 9 – 13, 2009 Wallingford, PA
The Teaching Power of Stories with Bill Harley. For more information go to: http://tinyurl.com/pndtyh

August 16, 2009 Aurora, IL
Marketing Workshop: “I Know I’m Good. You Need to Know Too. Now Hire Me!” – A fast-paced, interactive workshop where you will get practical (and even offbeat) ideas and tools for getting the jobs that suit your goals. To enroll, please contact Linda Gorham at 630-851-9415 or Linda@LindaGorham.com

August 20, 2009 Orleans, MA
Telling Our Stories, an evening with professional storyteller Cindy Rivka Marshall, 7:30-9:30 PM. MA. Topics will include the art of storytelling, the oral tradition in Jewish culture, and the importance of honoring our own stories within this historical context. Contact: 508-255-7771 or jrdill1@comcast.net for more info.

September 11 – 12, 2009 La Crosse, WI
Storytelling Festival. This is a great festival in a beautiful part of the country. For more information go to http://www.lacrossestoryfest.com/

September 26, 2009 Wisconsin
WISGET (Wisconsin Storytellers Get Together.) If you use story in your life or work, you will love this conference. For more information contact Terry Visger at talesbyterry@aol.com , Kay Weeden at kayweeden@sbcglobal.net , or Midge Miles at midge.miles@att.net

October 28, 2009 – November 1 Scituate, MA
Writing and Storytelling Workshop. Open to all with significant storytelling experience; this workshop offers an in-depth opportunity to work with the art and craft of storytelling. For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/pu3hr6

March 19-21, 2009 Warwick, RI
Call for Proposals Submit your proposals for workshops at the 29th annual Sharing The Fire Northeast Storytelling For more information go to http://www.lanes.org/

SOMETHING EXTRA

"Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish yourself.
It's what you do for others.”

- Danny Thomas

African Artists Community Development Project - While traveling this summer I met two wonderful women who donate their time and energy to this amazing project, one of the ladies shared a story of bringing some of the funds to a woman in Zambia and seeing her joy as she clapped her hands and said, "Now I can buy a chicken!"

She also told me of sitting on the floor with these women, helping them make handbags out of recycled materials. She said, "They are so poor but they are happy. I love sitting with them and listening to their stories." I promised them I would spread the word about their amazing project so other women will be able to buy animals to add to their small farms and support their families. http://www.aacdpafrica.org/

Untiny.me

You may notice that many of the URL’s in my newsletter begin with http://tinyurl.com. This service turns very long web addresses into shorter ones. Untiny.me retrieves the original so you will be able to access it if it is blocked by your server. http://untiny.me/

About Catch the Storybug Newsletter

This monthly or bi-monthly newsletter is researched and written by Karen Chace, Professional Storyteller, Author, Web Researcher, Workshop Leader, Storytelling Teacher and Story Coach.